Happy National Volunteer Week!

National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate our friends, neighbors and colleagues who give of their time and talent to advance the common good.

How many volunteers are there in the U.S.? More than one quarter of the U.S. population (26.5 percent) or 64.5 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2011 and September 2012.

Those are impressive numbers, but United Way is focused on getting even more people to volunteer so together we can make significant strides in helping kids graduate on time and improve families’ financial stability and health for their lifetimes.

If you are already volunteering on a regular basis, thank you! Volunteers are the lifeblood of change in the U.S. and indeed around the world.

And if you haven’t volunteered lately, National Volunteer Week is a great time to start. United Way is recruiting one million volunteer readers, tutors or mentors to help improve the academic success of young people across America. Pledge to help today and contact the United Way in your area to learn how to get involved with this initiative. Anyone with passion and commitment can help a young person achieve greater success.

Through the power of volunteering, we improve lives – our own and that of others. Congratulations to you and to all volunteers who join United Way in mobilizing the caring power of communities.